Hawaiian Dredging/Kajima joint venture will proceed with planning and design

University of Hawaiʻi President Evan S. Dobelle announced today that Hawaiian Dredging/Kajima joint venture has been selected to enter into the design/assist process leading to phase I construction of the university‘s Health and Wellness Center in Kakaʻako.

President Dobelle said that he was particularly pleased that local firms will take the lead in this project. "I want to emphasize that the on-the-ground work is all local," he said. "There is some management off site, but the work will be done by local tradesmen, and will benefit the local economy. From the beginning, this was a project by Hawaiʻi, for Hawaiʻi.

"The Health and Wellness Center will increase the University‘s research capacity by $100 million dollars--- that‘s $100 million into our local economy.," Dobelle added. "And it will provide 2,900 jobs: not only PhD‘s, but in a wide range of skill levels."

Hawaiian Dredging/Kajima will now work with architects and designers in overall project development. At the same time, the company will begin negotiations with the university on a guaranteed maximum price for the project, with construction costs expected to be in the $110-$120 million range. Permitting, an environmental impact assessment and bond sales will be conducted over the next several months prior to an expected September 2002 groundbreaking.

The project is the largest ever undertaken by the university, and one of the largest in the state in recent years. It provides a substantial boost to the state‘s building trades industry during a time of economic stress — creating an estimated 600-700 jobs over the planned three-year construction period.

Prospective general contractors responded in January to a request for qualifications (RFQ). Three qualified entities — selected from a total of thirteen companies who replied to the RFQ — were selected after review by a Health and Wellness Development Advisory Committee, appointed jointly in December by UH President Evan S. Dobelle, medical school Dean Edwin S. Cadman and UH Cancer Research Center Director Carl-Wilhelm Vogel.

Working with a consultant, the advisory committee undertook an intensive review of contractor experience with buildings of a similar nature, personnel and staffing, corporate support, the companies‘ work in previous joint ventures and their references.

Advisory committee member Bruce Coppa, head of the Pacific Resources Partnership proclaimed today a "great day for the construction industry. This is a real shot in the arm for the state‘s economy," he said, "and the end result will be a whole new industry for Hawaiʻi — exactly what we need for the state‘s long term economic well-being."

Phase I of the Health and Wellness Center will consist of the John A. Burns School of Medicine and related educational and administrative offices, laboratories and support facilities. Site development will also include surface parking and a centralized mechanical plant.

The UH Cancer Research Center will also be a Phase I tenant as planning proceeds for the Center‘s permanent relocation to Kakaʻako from its site adjacent to Queen‘s Medical Center.

In addition to permanently co-locating the Cancer Research Center in Kakaʻako, later phases of the project call for renovation of the existing Biomedical Sciences building at UH Manoa, and creating a Center for Biotechnology at Kakaʻako.

The President‘s Health and Wellness Center Development Advisory Committee